Sunny’s
253 Conover St., nr. Reed St., Red Hook; 718-625-8211
In everything from its odd hours (it’s only open three days a week—Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday) to its decrepit harborside location to the bonhomie of its patrons, this Red Hook tavern almost doesn’t even feel like a bar. More like the inside of a crabbing boat, really. Antonio “Sunny” Balzano has lived next door to the ramshackle, labyrinthine collection of rooms for most of his life (he’s 74), and the business has been in the family since 40 years before that. His wife, Tone, is usually behind the bar making dark-and-stormies while a bluegrass band jams in the back.